Freshwater and saltwater fishing are some of the most popular outdoor activities in the United States and throughout the world. Caught fish are often kept alive by placing the fish in a bucket, livewell, or other container or closed system. In addition, live bait is often used for fishing and must be kept in a similar container prior to use. Because the volume of water is limited in these closed systems, an aeration pump is often installed to replenish dissolved oxygen levels in the water. While aeration systems may maintain oxygen levels in the water to sustain the fish, other contaminates may build up in the closed system and poison the fish. For example, waste products discharged by the fish may increase ammonia concentration in the water and may build to levels that will kill the fish despite an adequate level of dissolved oxygen in the water. Traditional methods to control ammonia in these types of closed systems include lowering the pH of the water or introducing new water to the system (that is, diluting the ammonia concentration).
Accordingly, what is needed in the art is a user friendly, sustainable, cost-effective, and capable system and method for reducing the ammonia level if fresh and saltwater systems.